A Heretic in the White House

Cal Thomas, Tribune Content Agency on Apr 1, 2025

For the Evangelical Christians who have given – and still give – overwhelming support to President Trump while refusing to criticize him for language and behavior they would presumably denounce in a fellow church member, here’s an easy one for you.

There’s a heretic inside the White House. For those not familiar with the term it means “a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by their church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church.”

Paula White-Cain heads the White House faith office and fits that definition. She is a heretic.

White-Cain is soliciting donations before Easter of $1,000 or more to her “ministry.” In exchange she promises “7 specific supernatural blessings.” They include God assigning an angel to the donor, being an enemy to your enemies (contradicting Jesus’ command to “love your enemies”), promoting prosperity and curing sickness.”

None of this is new for White-Cain and other “prosperity gospel” ministers, but the difference is that she associates, advises and presumably has influence over the president of the United States. In 2020, White-Cain said that God was going to send an angel from Africa and South America (why not Cleveland?) to make sure Donald Trump won that election. The angel must have been delayed by TSA for further screening given the way the election turned out.

Asking for money in exchange for blessings is reminiscent of the old and discredited practice of the Roman Catholic Church, which once sold “indulgences” for forgiveness of sins.

White-Cain is a grifter (“a swindler, dishonest gambler, or the like”). She’s not alone. One can find many examples of what Jesus called “false prophets” going back to biblical times. A modern favorite of mine is the Mexican church reportedly offering to sell land plots in heaven for $100 per square meter. The pastor of the church claims he spoke directly to God in 2017 and was granted divine permission to sell this celestial real estate. I wonder if the church waives the realtor commission and closing costs? A minister in Zimbabwe a few years ago practiced the same scam, offering “tickets to Heaven” for only $500. He was arrested. Maybe inflation is the cause of White-Cain’s price increase, or the addition of land in the bargain could explain the price difference.

Some of the reactions to White-Cain’s offer have been fierce. Stella Parton, country singer Dolly Parton’s sister, wrote on X: “Paula shut up with your grift. I’ve met you and worked on the same show with you. You need to go repent and stop this charade. I’m a Christian and this is not at all Christian. It’s a grifter scam. STOP.”

Another reaction was equally direct. A man calling himself Stephen Simpson ProperGander wrote on X: “This is wicked blasphemy. As a Christian minister for 44 years, I reject her heresy. Total manipulation.”

White-Cain’s statements are what Evangelicals call “anti-biblical” and ought to be an embarrassment to the authentic church. She is giving non-Christians more material with which to mock the Christian faith and reject it. According to Scripture, severe judgment awaits such people.

All of this is wrapped up in what some call the “Christian nationalist movement,” which advances the belief that people wh o take as gospel their (mis)interpretation of the Bible should control the government and have authority over everyone else. This, too, is heresy.

Their “doctrine” seems to be “let us prey.”

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Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).